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Neoliberalism, Climate Change, Migration: George Monbiot conversation

Neoliberalism: defining human beings by the market as if everything we do is mediated through the market, not just in the economic sphere but in every aspect of our lives. That human life is defined by competition and we are defined as if we are simply trying to maximize our own wealth and power at the expense of everything else.

Which then seeks to extend that idea by attacking trade unions which stand in the way of what they consider to be the “free functioning of the market.” By ripping down regulations, by ripping down taxes, particularly for rich people, by tearing up anything which stands in the way of this magical thing called the market. Which actually turns out to not be that abstract an entity, they like to talk about as if it were some force of nature, but an entity which is controlled by people. Often very rich people, very powerful people.

So getting everything out of the way in the market is getting everything out of the way of those rich and powerful people. And while it began as a sincere philosophy it very quickly became a self-serving racket which effectively exempted billionaires and large corporations from the constraints of democracy, from paying their taxes, from not polluting, from having to pay fair wages, from not exploiting their workers.

All of those things could be torn down under the justifications that neoliberalism produced. One of the things that neoliberalism wants to get out of the way – is democracy.